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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298810">Home At Last</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/gummyoctopus'>gummyoctopus (orphan_account)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awesome Peggy Carter, BAMF Peggy Carter, Bearded Steve Rogers, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, I am not okay just leaving marvel behind, I am so bisexual both Peggy Carter and Steve rogers are so hot, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, My First Fanfic, Not Beta Read, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Suspicious Steve Rogers, Tags Are Hard, Time Travel Fix-It, also agent Carter is a really good show, cause that's hot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:02:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/gummyoctopus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve Rogers returns to Peggy Carter, things have changed. He's not the only one who's gone through a lot. He's also not the only one who has tried to move on. What does that mean for their relationship, and can it still survive now that they've both changed so much?</p>
<p>Basically this is what happened to Steve's love life when he went back in time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peggy Carter &amp; Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter &amp; Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter &amp; Jack Thompson, Peggy Carter &amp; Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Home At Last</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a reason Steve insisted he go alone to return the stones.</p>
<p>He had known as soon as he saw Peggy through the window of her office that he’d go back, that he’d live the life Johann Schmidt had cost him. He’d return to put the tesseract back last, then stay there forever.</p>
<p>There was a reason he’d never dated again (besides Sharon, which was a...complicated situation to say the least); it was because he’d found his soulmate already, his ‘right partner’, and her name was Margaret Elizabeth Carter.</p>
<p>So, here he was, standing in the lobby of a “phone company” called New York Bell Co. with too-large sunglasses over his eyes and a beard on his chin (he grew it out while returning the other stones). He’d googled Peggy’s life after his ‘death’ before he went back in time, and though he couldn’t find a personal address, he had found where she’d worked.</p>
<p>So, there he stood, disguise apparently working as a stocky woman with glasses and bright red hair stared, then held a gun on him. </p>
<p>“Whoa, whoa” he said. “There’s no need for that, ma’am. I’m just looking for a gal named Peggy Carter; any chance you’ve heard of her?”</p>
<p>The agent glared at him, gun still pointed, and scanned him up and down. “What do you want with Agent Carter, buddy? And how do you know about this place?”</p>
<p>“We’re old friends; we served together in the war. And as for how I know about this place, well, SSR files ain’t too hard to come by, ma’am.”</p>
<p>The woman narrowed her eyes, then looked to a woman on her right, the gun still pointed at him. “We don’t allow visitations from “old friends” at the SSR, pal. You’re gonna have to leave.”</p>
<p>Shit, Steve thought, What now? </p>
<p>The woman seemed to sense his desperation, so she slowly lowered the gun and pulled out a piece of paper. “Listen, I can’t let you go inside, but I can send her a message. What should I tell her?”</p>
<p>“Can you please tell her to meet me behind the old antique store by Shelly’s Diner at 6:00 Miss?” The lady nodded. “Thank you, hope you have a nice day.”</p>
<p>“Wait, I didn’t get your name?” she called.</p>
<p>Steve Rogers ignored her before walking out of the building his soulmate was hiding in, and hoped she got his message.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Peggy pov:<br/>Though L.A. had been a wonderful place to live, it seemed the city was lacking in SSR-level crime, and so their division was laid off. Thankfully, though, Chief Thompson reluctantly gave Agents Sousa and Carter their old desks at the New York SSR, along with Samberly and Rose.</p>
<p>Though Peggy was sad to be leaving, she knew New York was home for her; and apparently Howard agreed, as he moved back only a week after she’d left Los Angeles. </p>
<p>(“Did you miss me?” Peggy had smirked, sitting across from Howard in a plush velvet chair.</p>
<p>“Something like that,” Howard smirked back”)</p>
<p>After Peggy and Daniel had kissed things had been...different in the office, to say the least. While Daniel wasn’t one to kiss and tell, it seemed somebody had watched the security video the day they’d snogged and had blabbed to the whole office.</p>
<p>Of course, for Daniel, this wasn’t too big of a deal. Some of the other agents would clap him on the back in congratulations, offer to get the “man of honor” a cup of coffee, maybe even mention his “bravery” in dealing with a “dame like Carter”.</p>
<p>For Peggy, however, things were much worse. Her co-workers’ stares would linger too long on her chest, she stopped getting invited out after work, she got less cases again because nobody wanted to “put Sousa’s girl in danger”, and worst of all, they brought up Steve.</p>
<p>Agent Fisher went so far as to say, “So, I guess you’ve moved on from good ole Captain America, huh? Tell me, whose is bigger, Cap or Sou-”</p>
<p>Peggy had broken his nose before he could finish.</p>
<p>It seemed Steve followed her everywhere, from the Captain America trading cards somebody left on her desk to the American flag lingerie somebody had mailed to her.</p>
<p>She’d hidden all evidence from Daniel, but it seems not well enough; he’d found the lingerie in the donation box she’d prepared while spring cleaning, and he was far from happy about it. While Peggy had almost been used to men implying she was a whore, Daniel’s accusations stung. He’d said “I don’t want to be kissing Captain America’s property, Peg”.</p>
<p>He’d apologized immediately after, but the damage had already been done. So, the two were currently “on a break”, with Jarvis and Rose urging her to talk to him and give it another try.</p>
<p>Now, Peggy was focusing on work; her new objective was finding more of those female Russian spies and bringing them to justice, which is how she found herself standing in an interrogation room with Jack Thompson, watching as he held up both a carrot and a stick to a red-haired girl with blood on her teeth (she’d bitten Jack during her capture).</p>
<p>As the girl’s eyes wandered from the branch to the carrot and back again, a knock sounded on the door. Peggy and Jack both groaned, but opened the door to find Rose standing there, a small sheet of paper in her hand.</p>
<p>“Peg, some guy came looking for you earlier, said he was an old friend of yours? He wouldn’t give me a name, but he said you two are old war buddies or something?”</p>
<p>Peggy pushed off of the wall and walked to Rose, slipping out of the room and shutting the door behind her quietly. “No name, you say? Doesn’t sound very friendly to me. What did he look like?”</p>
<p>Rose lifted one eyebrow, then handed her the piece of paper. It had a time and place on it. “He had broad shoulders and muscles for days, about six feet tall with a beard? It was so weird, Peg, he had on these aviator sunglasses and an extremely tight shirt, like, really tight, I mean, one of my girls almost fainted-”</p>
<p>At this, Peggy became even more confused. The only “war buddies” she had were Howard Stark and the Howling Commandos, and she was pretty sure none of them were currently in the country. War buddies? Well, she’d made quite a few enemies back then, hadn’t she?</p>
<p>But what kind of enemy would show their face at the SSR itself while trying to attack her? It just didn’t make sense. “Rose, did they tell you how they knew I worked here?”</p>
<p>Rose pursed her lips and nodded. “Yeah, he said ‘SSR files ain’t too hard to come by’, which is weird because all of our files are locked away in the back room under constant surveilance. Also, if you’re such good friends, why not just ask you?”</p>
<p>Peggy nodded, too, before focusing on the address. It didn’t exist anymore. Originally, this “antique store” was above the lab where Captain America was made, but after the bomb had been set the site had been turned into a national landmark. </p>
<p>She pursed her lips in thought. Whoever this ‘friend’ was, they didn’t seem afraid to show their face, which could mean a few things: 1) it could mean this stranger wasn’t afraid of prosecution or being found guilty for any crimes, 2) they wanted to intimidate Peggy, or 3) they really were just an old friend. But if that was the case, why not just give Rose their name?</p>
<p>Ultimately Peggy decided that she needed answers to her questions, and even if that meant possible danger, it was worth it.</p>
<p>Besides, life in New York had gotten boring. Maybe this mystery guy could spice things up.</p>
<p>Peggy thanked Rose before turning on her heels and heading back to the interrogation room. She threw the door open and marched up to the woman in handcuffs, slamming a fist on the table and smiling sweetly. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid another, more important case has come up. I’m gonna need to steal Chief Thompson for a moment. I assume you won’t mind?”</p>
<p>Peggy ignored the girl’s loud grumblings before walking out of the room, Thompson on her heels.</p>
<p>She stopped in the middle of the bullpen, before she turned and looked him straight in the eye. “Sir, I must request leave at six today; it appears I’ve been summoned.”</p>
<p>Jack spluttered, obvious confusion on his face. “I’m sorry, did you really just take me from the middle of an interrogation with a Russian spy to ask if you could take a late lunch break? ‘Cause if so, Carter, we’re gonna have to have words--”</p>
<p>As he spoke, the agents around them perked up. All eyes were glued to them, itching to watch Little Miss Carter get chewed out.</p>
<p>“I took you out of this interrogation because our friend there needs to know she’s not as important to us as you’re making it sound; if anybody should know about the frailty of the human ego it should be you. As for my ‘break’, this isn’t exactly for leisure purposes, sir.”</p>
<p>At this, Thompson tensed. “A mission?”</p>
<p>“Some past ‘war buddy’ of mine waltzed into our office today insisting he knew information about me, information he claimed he got from SSR files. He mentioned a rendezvous point and I intend to go and meet him. Any questions?”</p>
<p>“Just a few; you were planning on doing this alone? Nah, Carter, you’re definitely taking backup. Sousa and I will tag along, maybe bring that Jarvis guy you’re so fond of, too.”</p>
<p>Peggy’s jaw clenched. She definitely didn’t need help with this, but refusing the help would make her seem arrogant and stubborn--which, of course, she was, but Thompson didn’t need to know that.</p>
<p>“Fine. Be ready to leave at precisely 5:30.”</p>
<p>Her chief nodded, so Peggy turned away and headed to the armory.</p>
<p>It was time to suit up.</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>Peggy did end up calling Jarvis, if only so he could give her, Sousa, and Thompson a ride to the meeting point and back. They were all armed and ready to go, complete with bullet-proof vests and pistols.</p>
<p>Just to be safe.</p>
<p>Daniel leaned forward from the back seat. “Peg, can we talk, please? It’s been a while and I know you know I didn’t mean it--”</p>
<p>“I’m afraid I don’t know anything of the sort, Sousa. Now, if you could please stay quiet and let us focus on this mission?”</p>
<p>Daniel obliged, sinking back into his seat with a quiet sigh. The air in the car got tense, before Jarvis leaned and turned on the radio. Peggy sent him a silent look in response.</p>
<p>As they pulled up to the memorial, Peggy turned to the Agents in the back seat and said, “Again, I will go in first to see if this target really is a threat, and you two will come in as back-up if they turn out to be hostile. Don’t come in before my signal.”</p>
<p>The two men nodded in response before the trio exited the vehicle, Jarvis pulling the car around the corner as planned. They stalked out, Sousa standing by the front left corner of the building while Thompson went down the alleyway to the right and hid in the shadows. All that was left was for Peggy to stand under a street-lamp in the back of the building and wait for the target to approach.</p>
<p>And, at six on the dot, approach he did. </p>
<p>He was tall, maybe around six foot, with muscled arms and broad shoulders. Though, they seemed to angle inwards as he got closer, almost as if he was nervous.</p>
<p>“I’m going to take a wild guess and say you’re the man who asked to meet with me?”</p>
<p>He didn’t respond, only stepped into the yellow light of the lamp. Then, he slipped his glasses off his face.</p>
<p>“Hey, Peg. It’s been a while.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, this is chapter one! This fic probably won't be too long, maybe under 10000 words? Also, if you like my writing style here comment down below! I might wanna make a 'what would happen if the avengers were in quarantine thing but really just about my spider-son' fic but I also might be lazy. who knows.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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